November 06, 2013

Get back to helping constituents, Farbridge says of Toronto City Hall circus

Asked about Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's admission that he did indeed smoke crack cocaine during one of his "drunken stupors" at least one year ago, Guelph Mayor Karen Farbridge said Ford and Toronto's 44 councillors should do "whatever it's going to take" to put the cloud of controversy behind them and resume the work of governing the city.

"Watching from outside I'm concerned about the chaos this would be causing in their municipal government," Farbridge said Wednesday, not saying if she thought the solution to the ongoing controversy should involve Ford stepping down or taking a medical leave.

"They need to get over it and get back to doing what they were elected to do . . .it's all about themselves when it ought to be about the constituents."

Both Farbridge and Ford sit on the Large Urban Mayors Caucus of Ontario, but Farbridge said Ford, like his predecessor David Miller, never goes to the Caucus' meetings.

Farbridge is a hypocrite who knows nothing about listening to her constituents. She is in no place to judge Ford.

Look at the stonewalling that went on when business owners on Carden Street, during its protracted construction period, were stonewalled by her. Emails and phone calls unanswered and not responded to.

Look at the lack of concern for some of the city's poorest tenants when they were evicted from the former Wyndham Arts builing by their landlord at the Farbridge administration's request. All from someone who projects herself as a "progressive" to the public.

We don't have a new library, we don't have a new parking garage, we don't have any development in the east end, she keeps on putting bike lanes in on roads that shouldn't have them (IE Woodlawn and Edinburgh) put them there surely someone is going to get hurt or killed. and seeing all the big rigs, if you don't see the driver of a big rig, the driver can't see you, and riding a bike by a big rig isn't exactly the safest thing to do.

Louis: We don't have a library?? Then councillor Rocco Furfaro brought forward a Notice of Motion and at the very first meeting with Quarrie as mayor, the council voted to NOT push forward with the purchase (for a veritable song)of the Old Post Office for the new library. Instead, the county bought it and the city first lost a through road around the Baker Street lot and then had to pay the county some $14-18 million for renovations. So, no new library, Millions in payouts and no use whatsoever of the post office.

What I am trying to say is that we were promised a new main branch library, did we get it? No.
Did we get the new parking garage? No.
Did unemployment go up? Yes.
Did services get cut? Yes.
Does the city care that a few businesses closed up infront of Carden Street? Not really, they didn't care, even with paying off the businesses for their lost customers due to lack of parking about four or five businesses still closed.

It will be good when we get these socialists out of office and get some real leadership in like Guthrie he actually has a clue about what is going on in the city, but I am counting down the days till the next election in hopes she loses.

Also the petition for the federal audit has over 50 people signed. I'll pass it along to reddit.com/r/ontario because bias much if Ford gets investigated for one thing and people here think Farbridge can't do no wrong and she can't be investigated?

["Watching from outside I'm concerned about the chaos this would be causing in their municipal government," Farbridge said Wednesday]

You don't have to look too far, because under such vague wording as many enabling Acts are in Ontario, the Toronto/Municipal and Conflict of Interest Acts alone are necessary to make clear to Guelph Council and others covered under the Acts what the enforced (by the enabling legislation) protocol of power should be, and save the courts from having to test them.

Does the name 'Laidlaw' ring a bell? What an expensive shenanigan that all was when Council *could* have handled it 'in-house', but since it wasn't mandated legally, chose to us the less messy way of doing it: "Calling resident Commissioner!".

Kerching.....

Ontario has little *legal* argument *not* to rewrite the Acts, or at least draft and amending act to make 'civilized behaviour befitting Mayor and Councillors' first the purview of Council (including Mayor), and failing that, the Province, by court or order-in-council.

Madame Farbridge and Council should be watching this closely. Change will be coming to town.

Forget about municipalities loosening the grip of the OMB. Those days are turning sour quickly. For some odd reason in Toronto, there's a tidal wave pushing for change the other way. Ford slipped the Conflict of Interest on an infuriating technicality.

A lot of people been vouching for Cam Guthrie as he has been critical of Farbridge et al people been calling him a loudmouth.

But my question to everyone is do you guys think it is right that the city is turning a blind eye to empty store fronts and struggling business owners downtown? And whenever the city does something to try and improve the core people complain about it like I am not sure if the St. Georges Square thing exactly is a good idea.

Without ample parking in the core people aren't compelled to go downtown, as it shouldn't take 15 minutes to find a parking spot, its been said, the city hired consultants to try and revitalize the downtown and sent them on their way without listening to them. But ask Dis-A-Ray what he thinks and he will probably say the same thing. (good luck finding a parking spot though)

Have you actually been downtown in the last ten years? I've lived there for about 30 years and I have never seen the downtown booming like it is now. Try to get a seat in the Woolie on a Saturday night. Ever been in Market Fresh? The coffee shops are all booming. I could go on and on.

As for finding a parking spot, that is a complaint by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. I work at the University and I almost never see co-workers downtown. Why? People who shop downtown either live within walking distance or take public transit. People who drive go to the malls. It is total nonsense to think that cheap parking will ever revitalize a downtown.

My concerns are that all the new luxury condos being built downtown will make the downtown so prosperous that it will drive out some businesses that I actually like. But that is still in the future.

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Joanne Shuttleworth is the newsroom lead in municipal affairs coverage for the Guelph Mercury. She is a former Guelph YWCA Woman of Distinction honouree and a past winner of an Ontario Newspapers Award for her work as an editor. You can reach her at jshuttleworth@guelphmercury.com

March 2015

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